- Machinal
Infobox Play
name = Machinal
image_size = 180px
caption =
writer =Sophie Treadwell
genre = tragedy
setting = An office; a flat; a hotel; a hospital; a speakeasy; a furnished room; a drawing room; a court room; a prison; in the dark
subject =
premiere = 7 Seppember 1928
place =Plymouth Theatre London ,England
orig_lang = English
ibdb_id = 5682
iobdb_id = 1263"Machinal" is a play written by American
playwright andjournalist Sophie Treadwell , inspired by the real life case of convicted and executed murderessRuth Snyder . The play stands out as one that calls for a vast array of specific sound effects. Its 1928 Broadway premiere, directed byArthur Hopkins , is considered one of the highpoints ofexpressionist theatre on the American stage.Plot synopsis
The story involves Helen whose entire life has been dictated by the people and machines around her. She follows the rituals that society expects of a woman, however resistant she may feel about them, and subsequently marries her boss, whom she finds repulsive. After having a baby with him, followed by an affair with a younger man who fuels her lust for life, she is driven to murder her husband. She is found guilty of the crime and meets her end in one of the deadliest of machines, the
electric chair .Clark Gable originally played the role of "Man" a.k.a. Richard RoeAwards and nominations
;Awards
* 1994 Laurence Olivier Award for Best RevivalReferences
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